The 1805 Dispatches #20.02 August 2020 1 of 5 EDITORIAL So, here we are with the second edition of The 1805 Dispatches. The sharp-eyed reader will have noticed already that the promised evolution has already started, with the addition of ‘The’ in the title and with the omission of ‘Bimonthly’ in the subtitle. ‘The’ was by popular demand and the omission was to protect your editor from over-stretching himself and his subeditor. Which neatly leads me into requesting that any club member with a few hours to spare and an inclination to appear in print, and with or without editorial experience, but who would like to improve or gain such experience, is invited (implored!) to contact the editor with a view to helping with the current editorial duties on this publication and onThe Kedge Anchor. The aim is for us to learn how to do the job properly together, so that, should the time come when I am unable to continue, a new editor is already up-to-speed and ready to take over — hopefully not soon. ka.editor@1805club.org THE REGULAR NEWSLETTER OF THE 1805 CLUB www.1805club.org THE 1805 DISPATCHES Issue 20.02 August 2020 THE VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE Observations From The Chairman, Bill White Due to Coronavirus storms, through which we are sailing, the course ahead has to be planned with care, but I hope you are all safe and surviving. There is some lightening of lockdown restrictions in the UK, but concern remains that there will be a second peak as the cooler autumn weather arrives. So we are all wary and this is greatly inhibiting Club activities. I would however like to congratulate Peter Turner in his determination to keep this newsletter going so as to give us essential continuity. And John Rodgaard has provided a link in this issue to an interesting discussion between leading figures in the naval community in the USA contrasting the fictional characters of Captains Hornblower and Aubrey from the pens respectively of CS Forester and Patrick O’Brian. I had not before appreciated the level of interest there in this fictional genre. I can also report that our President Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, has advised that St Anne’s church in Portsmouth Dockyard is now accessible again, so we can fairly soon discuss with the Naval chaplain there the possibilities for a plaque for Admiral Cornwallis who commanded the British fleet at the Blockade of Brest. So hopefully we will start to move again but I think activity will be greatly restricted until at least January. ENEMY IN SIGHT - A FRIGATE SIGNALLING THE FLEET (MP167). Alma Claude Burlton Cull (1880-1931). Available from http://www.maritimeprints.com/portfolio/
The 1805 Dispatches #20.02 August 2020 2 of 5 This came from Mark Billings late in June. Greetings from Canada! I was in Old Montreal [in late June. Ed.], walking around in the blistering heat (35 degrees Celsius, 40 with humidex) with my family, and we came to the Nelson Column. Please find attached four pictures. In one of the pictures, from left to right, you have my son Darcy, my wife Nancy and my daughter Daphne. This column was erected in 1808 and was the first such memorial to Nelson outside the British Isles. I believe that it is the second-oldest Nelson monument in the world, only surpassed by the Nelson Monument in Glasgow. This is also the oldest monument in the city of Montreal and is the oldest war monument in Canada. Something to be proud of! On A Completely Different Subject Sam Hearn, a member of The 1805 Club, was once on the management team for the Historical Royal Palaces and based at Hampton Court Palace. Over a socially distanced beer [recently, with Bill White], he mentioned the Ketch NONSUCH, and has since sent the following e-mail: “Nonsuch was the ketch that sailed into Hudson Bay in 1668-1669 under Zachariah Gillam, in the first trading voyage for what was to become the Hudson's Bay Company two years later. Originally built as a merchant ship in 1650, and later the Royal Navy ketch HMS Nonsuch, the vessel was sold to Sir William Warren in 1667. The name means "none such", i.e. "unequalled". The ship was at the time considered smaller than many others but was specifically selected because of her small size so that when she arrived in Hudson Bay and James Bay she could be sailed up-river and taken out of water so the thick ice of the bay wouldn't crush her. A replica was later built [1968-1970] and sailed out into Hudson's Bay.” Readers will find more on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonsuch_(1650_ship) and https://manitobamuseum.ca/main/visit/museum-galleries/ nonsuch-gallery/ We will try to pursue this matter. Meanwhile, here is an image of Nonsuch from the above Nonsuch Gallery website. Ed SHIP’S WORD WHEEL Take a ten-minute break and find as many words as possible, using the letters in the wheel. Each must use the hub letter and at least 3 others, used only once. No plurals (if only made with by adding an ‘s’ or ‘es’), no foreign words not in common usage in English, nor proper nouns. There is at least one nine-letter word to be found. (Answers on page 4) 2020 Coming Up InThe Kedge Anchor (1) One of the most important incidents prior to the Napoleonic Wars, that helped prepare Britain for war with France, and not be caught out, was the so-called Nootka Crisis. The Nootka Crisis was a political dispute between Great Britain and Spain, triggered by a series of events that took place during the summer of 1789 at Nootka Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. The crisis involved British fur-trading vessels entering the area which Spain had laid claim to. Both sides prepared for a war which never came, but Britain was then ready for the French Revolutionary War soon after. An article enlarging on this will appear in The Kedge Anchor in the autumn.
The 1805 Dispatches #20.02 August 2020 3 of 5 REMINDER Please submit a proposal/abstract of no more than 500 words and a biographical synopsis (your background) of no longer than 150 words. Proposals are due by 1 September 2020 totc.editor@1805club.org Editors: Dr. Judith E. Pearson, Dr. Sean Heuvel and Captain John Rodgaard, USN(Rtd) MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL Any members who have forgotten to renew their membership this year are requested to renew immediately, and to check with Barry Scrutton (membership.secretary@1805club.org) that their subscription is at the current rate. CALL FOR PAPERS TRAFALGAR CHRONICLE PUBLICATION DATE: AUTUMN/FALL 2021 THEME: GEORGIAN NAVY ENCOUNTERS WITH INDIGENOUS CULTURES AND ENSLAVED POPULATIONS AB&OS Cartoons Hard as it may be for fans to believe, there may be one or two readers who are unaware of the origins of our AB&OS cartoons. Abie (Able Seaman Archibald Blake) and Os (Ordinary Seaman Oswald Secombe) are typical before-the-mast shipmates who get in the same scrapes, and make the same comments about their superiors, as modern day seamen and women. Everyday life below decks was not very different from that experienced by today’s sailors, except that now the equipment is a lot more expensive and the home comforts are slightly improved. They were published for some years in an international magazine, but have finally reached the pinnacle of service life by appearing regularly here and inThe Kedge Anchor. Coming Up InTheKA(2) A book review by Stephen Howarth: Nelson’s State Funeral 1806: How to Bury a National Heroby Susan Amos and Louis Roeder (Cranbrook: Four Wents Publishing, 2020 – ISBN 978-1-5272-4984-4) £35.00 Extract: “This is an excellent book and a genuine contribution to our knowledge of Nelson’s history. I would like to call it “an excellent book of its type”, but I am not sure there is a type: I don’t know of any comparable volume in the Nelsonian canon.” SAVE THE DATE NEW YORK CITY PICKLE NIGHT VIRTUAL EVENT Thursday, November 5, 2020 Advance registration is required as this will be a Zoom event. This year marks the 215th anniversary of the history-making Battle of Trafalgar and the 15th New York City Pickle Night Event. Those interested in the historical significance of the Battle and the astonishing life of Admiral Lord Nelson are invited to attend this special occasion. The event is named for His Majesty’s Schooner Pickle, the smallest British vessel at the Battle, and which brought the important news to London of the Battle victory and Nelson’s death. Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the iconic HMS VICTORY, the oldest navy ship in commission, and view efforts being taken for her preservation. The event will be arranged to suit different time zones and will take you to Portsmouth, England and the National Museum of the Royal Navy, and will be filled with surprises. Fully detailed invitations, with a facility to pay donations online, will be issued electronically in early October. Contact: SallyAFNMRN@gmail.com Tel. (212)840-1166 (Illustration: “I have urgent dispatches” by Gordon Frickers.)
The 1805 Dispatches #20.02 August 2020 4 of 5 THE 1805 CLUB The 1805 Club was founded in 1990 and broadly: • Promotes and engages in the preservation of monuments and memorials relating to the Royal Navy and seafaring people of the later sailing-navy era; and • Promotes research into and education about the Royal Navy, merchant maritime service and other state navies of the same era; and • Organises relevant cultural, historical and social events. The Club is charity No. 1071871, registered in England and Wales. Individuals desiring further information may contact: John Curtis, Hon. Club Secretary, The 1805Club 9 Brittains Lane, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 2JN,UK Email: secretary@1805club.org Telephone: 01732 453176. For a membership application details please contact: Barry Scrutton, Hon. Membership Secretary, The 1805 Club 1 Cambus Road, London, E16 4AY, UK Email:membership.secretary@1805club.org Telephone: 020 7476 1215; Or: Capt. John A. Rodgaard (USN Ret.) Hon. North American Secretary, The 1805 Club 6089 Guildhall Court, Burke, Virginia 22015 USA Email: john_Rodgaard@yahoo.com; Telephone: 1-321-591-6123. Or: Mark Billings, Hon Canadian Secretary, The 1805 Club 4000 Marlowe Avenue, Montreal, Quebec H4A 3M2 Canada Email: mark@marengomgt.com Telephone: 1-514-296-1641 Visit our website: www.1805club.org Or see us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Or to join go to: Join The 1805 Club The Newsletter for Anyone Interested in The 1805 Club PURPOSE. The purpose of this newsletter is to support and advance the Club’s objectives. The newsletter provides anyone who is interested with brief items of news about the club and its activities, in the hope that the it can help the club attract wider interest in naval history and new members. Much of the content will be a précis of articles that will appear in The Kedge Anchor, the six-monthly club magazine. EDITORIAL POLICY. The editor has full editorial responsibility for the newsletter. Views expressed in the newsletter are those of individual authors, unless claimed by the editor. Articles which appear do not express the official position of The 1805 Club on any subject unless specifically noted as such. Content of contributions to the newsletter may be edited for grammar, space allocation, or to better serve the purpose of the newsletter. Contributors wishing to be alerted to editorial decisions should notify the editor at the time that their contribution is submitted. Otherwise the submission will be published within the scope of the editorial policy. ISSUE AND COPY DATES The proposed issue dates for The 1805 Dispatches are: February, April, June, August, October and December. Anyone wishing to contribute an article or news item to the editor for inclusion in the newsletter should do so by the beginning of the month preceding the issue in which it is to be inserted. Any articles that are not time-specific can be submitted at any time, with a note advising him of that fact. All copy is welcome, but not all copy may be used! Diary Dates Date Event NOTE: THIS TABLE WILL NOT BE USED FOR ANNIVERSARIES, ONLY FOR EVENTS. CONSEQUENTLY, FOR WELLKNOWN REASONS, IT IS CURRENTLY ‘RESTING’. BOOK ANNOUNCEMENTS Jamie Goodall, Pirates of Chesapeake Bay: From the Colonial Era to the Oyster Wars. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2020. ISBN: 9781467141161, Paperback, 160 pages and 19 images. £12.80 https://www.amazon.co.uk/PiratesChesapeake-Bay-Colonial-Oyster/dp/ 146714116X The Chesapeake Bay was a notable haven of pirates, piracy, and smuggling from the middle 1600s through the early 1960s. Jamie Goodall, in this slim volume, strives to present a useful overview of this period of activity and does a good job of it. Antony Adler, Neptune’s Laboratory: Fantasy, Fear, and Science at Sea. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2019. 256 pages. £28.75 https://www.amazon.com/NeptunesLaboratory-Antony-Adler/dp/0674972015/ ref+nodl_ Antony Adler’s book, Neptune’s Laboratory: Fantasy, Fear and Science at Sea, is a brilliant catalogue of the power that water has as a medium of imagined liberty for cultures anchored to the dead weights of war and the nation state. NAVAL TERMS THAT HAVE ‘COME ASHORE’ Cat – The cat-o‘-nine-tails was an instrument of punishment comprising nine rope ‘tails’ on a handle, with which recalcitrants were flogged. If knotted it was called a thieves’ cat. Two expressions came ashore, the first from the practice of storing the cat in a red baize bag – when the cat was let out of the bag retribution was imminent. The other expression to come ashore is the expression that there is hardly room to swing a cat, in a cramped space. BRITANNIC, acini, actin, antic, artic, cabin, cant, canti, carb, cart, crab, cran, crib, crit, inca, incant, narc, niacin, nitric, ricin, tannic, triac. 10 = Good, 15 = Excellent, 20 = Amazing SHIP’S WORD WHEEL ANSWERS
The 1805 Dispatches #20.02 August 2020 5 of 5 LATE NEWS EXTRA It is intended that the The 1805 Dispatches will usually have a four-page format, but one of the joys of digitalonly publications is that there is a flexibility that is unavailable to printed matter, enabling us these extra items. Recently an oil-oncanvas painting was taken to Charles Wallrock, an antique dealer at Wick Antiques in Lymington, Hampshire, by an elderly lady who had owned it for years. This is an edited transcript of what appears on the website of Wick Antiques: “Portrait of Emma, Lady Hamilton as Ariadne, shown half-length on a couch, turned to right and looking up, wearing a loose gown which partially reveals her breast; rocks with foliage in the background. Oil on canvas Published: Mezzotint engraved by W.T.Annis (active 1798-1812) Exhibited: Probably Royal Academy,1805 as ‘Richard Westall… 190. Ariadne’ This newly re-discovered representation of Emma Hamilton as Ariadne completes a quartet of known portraits by Richard Westall of Nelson’s mistress posing as subjects taken from mythology and Classical history. The companion portraits show Emma as Sappho (National Museums Liverpool), Saint Cecilia (National Maritime Museum, Greenwich) and as a bacchante (Private Collection).” This story was first spotted, and sent in, by Genevieve St George, seen on BBC News website, from which the text below is taken. https://www.bbc.com/news/amp/uk-england-norfolk53479459 “Three locks of Admiral Lord Nelson's hair are due to go under the hammer at an auction later this month[July]. Auctioneers Keys, based in Aylsham, Norfolk, said the rare items were part of a Nelson collection belonging to the late historian Ron Fiske. Mr Fiske, who died in 2018, was an inaugural member of the Nelson Society and its chairman for nine years. David Broom, from Keys, said there was interest in Nelson "despite recent controversy about historical figures". According to Topple the Racists, a group which says it wants Britain to "face the truth about its colonial past", Nelson was a supporter of slavery. This claim has been rejected by the Nelson Society, which said his overriding ethos was "service to his country". The locks are kept in paper packets, with the first packet inscribed in ink "The hair of Horatio Lord Nelson, given me by Horatia, 22 May 1818". The second packet, which contains two locks, says "The great Lord Nelson hair cut off when he left off tying his hair". The pre-sale estimate of the three locks of hair is £2,000 to £3,000.” And Finally... Here is the link to see the Saturday discussion between John Lehman and Craig Symonds discussing fictional Captains Aubrey and Hornblower: https://www.navyhistory.org/2020/07/second-saturday-horatio-hornblower-vs-jack-aubrey-webinar/ EMMA HAMILTON PAINTING NELSON’S HAIR AUCTION THE EXTENSIVE NELSON COLLECTION of the late Ron Fiske, Founding Chairman of The Nelson Society Sale starting at 10.30am Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th July. Other items, including books, are expected to be entered into future sales. To be sold as part of their Summer Fine Sale, Keys Auctioneers, Fine Sale, Aylsham Norfolk. UK. are able to offer (part one) of a superb collection of memorabilia and commemorative items relating to Horatio Nelson. Please see their Fine Sale Catalogue on KeysLive for more details. Viewing: All viewing is currently available strictly \"by prior appointment\" only. Please contact us for an appointment to view. Contact: salerooms@keysauctions.co.uk Bidding via Website: www.keysauctions.co.uk KeysLive. Buyers Premium: 20% + 4% online. Or bid via: the-saleroom.com For more information: https://bid.keysauctions.co.uk/auctions/7519/srkey10361?term=nelson
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